The first castle on the Schloss’ present site was built around 1150 by the Grafen von Lechsgemünd family, nobles from Bavaria who were the feudal lords of the Pinzgau, the valley and region in which Mittersill is situated.
The Pinzgau came into the possession of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg in 1228. (As the name implies, the Prince-Archbishop was both head of state and head of the church.) Until 1803, when the church lost secular power, the archbishops appointed a “Protector of the Pinzgau” to act as governor and judge for the region. During the “Austrian Period” (1816-1849), the Protector continued to live at the Schloss. From 1849 to 1881 the Schloss served as an “Imperial and Royal District Court”.
Unfortunately, nothing of the original buildings can now be seen. In 1526, during a peasants’ revolt, the Schloss was pillaged and set on fire. The enraged Archbishop, Matthäus Lang, quickly quelled the uprising by sending in his soldiers. The peasants were forced to rebuild the Schloss and the town of Mittersill was obliged to raise the necessary money. It was fortified against possible further attack and a well was sunk in the courtyard. The date of the rebuilding, 1528, can be seen etched over the archway of the main gate. The Schloss chapel was rebuilt in 1533. This date, along with the archbishop’s coat of arms, can be seen on the chapel ceiling.
In 1881, the Schloss was auctioned by the State and subsequently passed through the hands of several private owners. In 1936, a titled entrepreneur purchased the property for what became the Schloss Mittersill International Sport and Shooting Club. Members of this club included royalty, industrialists and film stars. The second significant fire in the history of the castle occurred in July of 1938. Apparently caused by lightning, it seriously damaged much of the interior. Restoration and renovation began at that time, but was not fully completed until after World War II.
During World War II, Schloss Mittersill was confiscated by the Nazis and became
the seat of the "Reichsinstitut Sven Hedin für Innerasienforschung", a subdivision of the Society "Ahnenerbe e.V." of the SS-main office "Persönlicher Stab Reichsführer SS". Not much historical work has been done on that time, but it is known for sure that the castle was an outpost for forced labour of the concentration camp Mauthausen, being used mainly for female Jehovah's Witnesses. Allegedly, when Heinrich Himmler came to visit in order to watch a rare species of bird in a close by valley, there was a plot to assassinate him by the two doctors stationed here.
After the war, the castle was renovated and from 1952 the international jet-set returned. King Farouk of Egypt, the Duke of Windsor, Aristotle Onassis, the Aga Khan, Henry Ford II., Rita Hayworth, Gina Lollobrigida, Clark Gable and many others signed the guest book.
In the mid 1960’s, the Sport and Shooting Club decided to sell the Schloss. Through the father of one of the Club members, this was brought to the attention of C. Stacey Woods, who was at that time General Secretary of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES). In 1967, Schloss Mittersill was purchased by means of several generous donations, in order to be used as a centre for Christian student conferences by IFES and other Christian groups. Mr. Woods gave direction to the extensive renovations carried out after the acquisition and organised the initial conferences and seminar programmes. He also established an international and independent Board of Directors. This Board, in modified form, still oversees the facility and its ministries today.
The history of Schloss Mittersill over the centuries has been shaped by the rise and fall of political powers and the general currents of change within society. It is our belief that these developments were, and are, although amidst much human error, not random, nor simply the result of human endeavour; rather, it is God who stands behind and acts within the historical process to bring about his will and purposes in the end.
